Everyone Changes at the End of the World
by Hcash13
Summary: Some people think surviving the end of the world is easy...some know different. Just a short little ramble that could turn to more, my very first Walking Dead fic.
1. Chapter 1

Some people think surviving the end of the world is easy. Everything reverted to simpler times, if you want to eat you hunt, if you need shelter you take it. But Carol knew different. She knew not to look in their faces before you put them down. If you look in the faces you remember they once had lives, they were moms, dads, sisters, brothers…friends. It took her a good two months to learn that. She cried for a week after her first kill. She thought the "lady" looked sad in the end. She wondered who was mourning for her, if anyone at all. Carol did, she mourned for the thing that was once a person. It was different now. She didn't look in the faces and she didn't think about what they once were at all anymore. She could kill and not even think about it. It was all just part of a daily routine now.

For Daryl killing them was always easy. It sometimes scared him how easy it was, this was about as close to killing an actual person you could get. He had never had a moments worry over any of them. Well any of them except Merle. Daryl prided himself on being able to turn the emotions off completely, its what made him an excellent hunter and killer, but this was his brother. Yes, Merle was the only one that had ever bothered him. He didn't sleep for three days after that, and then he shut the emotions off again. You couldn't have emotions in this world and survive anymore, not that he allowed himself to have many before the world went to shit.

Everyone changed at the end of the world. Everyone had their own way to get though. Some people clung to each other like Maggie and Glenn, some clung to ghost from their past like Rick, and some just turned off the emotions like Daryl and Carol. Everyone got though in their own way. Sometimes Daryl wondered which way was the best. He sure as hell didn't want his ghosts coming back. He might could handle Merle but not the others. It was best to leave them buried. He had wondered about clinging to someone of his own. Truth be told he had even liked the idea of it. There was only one person that would do for that, only one that was like him.

He watched her walking towards the prison home they all shared. He liked watching her. It was as close as he got to letting his emotions come back. He watched as she effortlessly turned toward the fence where one of the dead followed her licking and clawing at the metal trying to reach her, and casually rammed a knife in the eye of the thing. He watched her remove the knife and wipe the blade on the bottom of her pale pink shirt. He noticed a slight smile on her lips as she did. Yes, he liked watching Carol. It was as close as he was going to get to what Maggie and Glen had and it was all his. He turned to go back inside before Carol looked back up feeling satisfied that he had enjoyed his daily dose of happiness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Carol smiled slightly as she wiped the blade on the hem of her shirt. She knew he was there, he was watching her. She also knew that when she looked up he would be gone. She liked the fact that he watched her, liked knowing he was there. This was their dance, they watched and even flirted a little but nothing more. She liked it this way. She didn't have to define what they had, didn't have to think about it at all. It simply was what it was. As she walked she heard the door close and knew he had went inside.

Daryl had never been much of a "people" person. His whole life he had tried to avoid people and had done a damn fine job of it till the end of the world. He sat in the one spot where he could be alone, his hiding spot from the world perched high above the entire prison in the watch tower. He watched Rick fumbling his way through planting crops with Hershel. It was pretty obvious Rick was new to the whole gardening thing. But then everything was changing now, everyone. They had to in order to survive didn't they? Daryl was forced to be around people and Rick was forced to be a farmer. Farmer Rick, the thought made Daryl smile.

He was lost in his thoughts when he was startled by the door opening to the top of the tower.

"Tryin to give me a heart attack?" He said louder than he had planned.

Carol laughed unaffected by his harshness.

"My goal every day Mr. Dixon. " She leaned against the rail. " Do you think you are ever going to have dinner with the rest of us again?"

Daryl scoffed. "Figured my real friends could bring me some."

Carol crossed her arms trying to look as maternal as possible. "You cant hide forever Daryl. Eventually you are going to have to get to know the new people."

"What's ta know? Everything I need ta know I can find out from here."

Carol laughed at that. "What could you possibly know about any of them from spying on them from here, Stalker Eyes?"

He had to admit her laugh was one of his favorite sounds now. In his opinion it needed to be heard more. He smirked before answering her. "I know that Markus is clumbsy as hell, almost kilt little Ass Kicker yesterday when Little Greene had her outside," He paused to look up at Carols face. "I know that Susan is a whiny bitch. She complains about it bein to hot out here and to dark inside. And I know that Kim is a people pleaser tryin ta take over everybodys jobs and not cause she wants ta but cause she wants us ta like her."

Carol had to admit he had pegged each of them. She knew Daryl was a watcher by nature but never realized how much he actually saw. She glanced around the tower trying to come up with a clever come back, after all that was their thing. They teased and flirted and made fun and it seemed to lighten the fact that there was really nothing left of the world to be light hearted about. She liked that. It gave her hope, he seemed to give her hope.

Under his poncho she saw what looked like a notepad. Grabbing it up she said "What's this?" Before he could answer she had it open and was flipping through it.

Daryl tried to take it from her but she held on "S'nothing. Just how I pass my time"

Carol was astonished. She opened the pad to the first page and found a perfect sketch of Judith, as she flipped the pages she saw Carl and Hershel, a couple of walkers. She looked up at see an embarrassed Daryl. "These are amazing Daryl! How did you ever lean to do this?"

He shrugged and looked down at the concrete floor. "My Pa said I was always doodlin when I was young. Said I always juss wondered in my own world."

She flipped a few more pages and found page after page of her. Her holding Judith, her walking through the yard, her holding her gun. She looked up to see Daryl blushing. He reached for the book and this time she didn't stop him. He flipped through a few pages and ripped one out and folded it before handing it to her.

"Been meanin to give this to ya. "

She opened the paper and gasped putting a hand over her mouth. Daryl watched as a single tear rolled down her cheek. It was a flawless picture of Sofia. Her Sofia. Every detail was so perfect and carefully done. It was as if he had stared at those eyes and freckles everyday like she had.

"I…I don't know what to say…Thank you."

"Don't haft ta say nothin." He offered her a smile, she was the only one who ever got a Daryl Dixon smile.

She clutched the picture to her chest and closed the space between them to kiss him on the cheek. "You are a good man Daryl Dixon. The best."

She walked out the door and he found himself watching the ground below for her to emerge from the tower. He watched her walk into the prison smiling to herself with the picture still clutched to her chest. He liked watching, he liked watching her the best. He sat down with his pad and started to draw.


End file.
